Tile and tile caps are frequently used as decorative trim in many modern bathrooms. One of the more difficult challenges for an installer of tile or tile caps is the consistent cutting of 45.degree. angles in order to make smooth joints and transitions around corners and in other locations, as well as with common decorative trim patterns. This problem is exacerbated when using bullnose tile caps which are that much more difficult to lay on a smooth surface to use with a standard table-style cutting blade. While substantial art exists for measuring tile cuts and even for drawing complex angles, this art is often complex and does not address the basic need for 45.degree. angles as well as cradling the tiled or tile cap to be cut in a quick and easy fashion.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,471,758 to White, Sr. discloses a measuring device useful in determining the relative position and location of linear interferences with proper laying of floor tile. The device uses what is effectively a T-square to define a reference position using tile already in place. The device uses a linear sliding ruler to define how far in the direction orthogonal to the top of the T-square is available before the blockage. The device uses a planar semicircle rotatably attached to the end of the sliding ruler to rest against and define the linear blockage which must be accounted for. After the respective positions of the semi-circle and ruler are set, the device is removed from the ground and then placed in a reference position on the tile to be cut in order to allow a line to be drawn along the flat surface of the tile to define which part of the tile must be cut away to avoid the linear obstruction. The device plays no role in supporting the tile during the cutting process or assisting in defining the cut location other than its use to draw a line beforehand. The device does not provide assistance in even drawing a line on any plan other than the broad upper or lower surface of the tile.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,045 to Liu discloses a cutting gauge which consists of a protractor and ruler on the end of the guide rod with a T-squarelike frame to secure the tile edges for marking. The device is designed to allow for the marking or scoring of a line of defined length and angle on the broad upper or lower surface of the tile. An earlier patent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,718,980 to Poulos discloses a measuring device which consists of a simple T-square and a single reference component which is movable linearly along the longitudinal portion of the T-square which may also rotate about its center point with respect to the T-square. This device, like a simpler vision of the White invention, is able to measure the span and angle of the available space for a tile. The device is then used to assist in marking or scoring the cutting line needed to cut the tile to fit the available space. The device plays no role in supporting the tile during the cutting process or assisting in defining the cut location other than its use to draw a line beforehand. The device does not provide assistance in even drawing a line on any plane other than the broad upper or lower surface of the tile.
Other devices may exist in the art for actual tile cutting, but these devices also provide a more complex method for cutting variable angles and involve complex table-size components with the concurrent increased expense and increased bulkiness and increased complexity that such matters would provide.